Muntakhab Ahadith (Sayings of the Messenger - grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon Him), Teachings of Islam,

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Lesson # 975 - Difference between a human and an animal

Lesson # 975 from the Noble Quran

Difference between a human and an animal

Surah ‘ANFAAL(SPOILS OF WAR) – Chapter – 8)

Stage – 2, Verse – 0 of 75, Section – 1 of 10
(Part - 9)

BisMIllaahir-Rahmaanir-Rahiim

In the name ofGod, the Beneficent, the
Merciful

Lesson

Substance of
human life is struggle and endeavor. His nature is to fulfill own desires,
bruise and tyrannize them who come in the way of fulfilling his wishes.
Similarly, we observe the same thing in animals, and this is the reason that we
determine the human being as (social) animal. Sign of animal’s life in the
world is a struggle and the sign of its death is the end of that struggle. Islam
does not desire to remove the life, but it wishes to keep it up. Therefore, it
supports to struggle against the opponents, and it considers honor if overcame
upon them but disgrace if subdued by them. Struggle to Conquer these opponents is
called Jihad in Arabic language.

After that, it
is easy to understand that the life, Islam and Jihad are different names of the
same thing. Islam has emphasized the “Jihad” because it wants to preserve the
life, but along with it, it has been caused to understand clearly that “there
is a difference in the Jihad (struggle) of humankind and the struggle of an
animal as the difference between heaven and the earth, because animal life is
different from human life. So, there must be a difference between the struggles
(Jihad) of the both.

The struggle
of the animal is only for the purpose that if any other of its kind; wants to
snatch its necessities of this world, it should drive that animal off by
striking so that it may live itself easily. Therefore, it has to fight against
other individuals usually of its kind. Islam teaches the mankind: Your Jihad
(struggle) must be for the purpose that you yourself and other people of your
kind may acquire the rest of actual life i.e. the life of the Hereafter. So,
your fight should be against the people of your kind, only in that condition;
when they raise any hindrance against fulfilling this cause and are prepared to
fight.

A human being
cannot fight with the people of his kind for the purpose that he may snatch the
worldly and luxurious goods, wealth and property from others and fill own house
with them. This way is specified with the animals. If the humankind adopts the
same way, then, he is at a great distance from the humanity and still he is
mere an animal, a worst kind of animal which is called a ravenous.

A mankind will
fight against the other at that time only when he will try to prevent him by
violence from the effort to gain the perpetual life. Islam elevates the
platform of human struggle much high and teaches him to face the enemies of
eternal life. Therefore; the name of his struggle is “Jihaad Fii SabiiLIllaah (The Struggle, try and strive in the Path
of God, for the sake of God). And if any mankind opposes it himself and wants
to stop it, then it is the Jihad that one must fight against him and that kind
of Jihad is called Qataal fii
SabiiLIllaah (killing for the sake of God). Fighting against those who
prevent the people from making their Hereafter good, is Islamic life, and fighting
for worldly goods, honor and sovereignty is the animal life, and there is much
difference in both.

Those people who
have recited the Chapters of Holy Qur’an,
revealed in Makkah with attention and
observed thirteen years’ life of God’s last Messenger (grace, glory, blessings
and peace be upon Him) and the Muslims in Makkah,
they understand easily that Islam wished to teach the mankind formulas of
peaceful life. But quarrelsome and arrogant people of Makkah got ready to oppose Islam, Muslims and the Preacher of Islam
Muhammad (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon Him) for the sake of their worldly
interests and tyrannized in such a way that; hearing them is confounded. So the Muslims had to girt their loins for
fighting against them by compulsion. And finally, the Muslims and the truth were
conquerors. There is a specific law for such fighting and such victory. But if
the Muslims fight for the world and conquest, and in this form, they put the
same law (of Qataal Fii SabiiLIllaah)
into execution, then it would be a fight only, result of which would be not
other than that, which we have been observing nowadays.

Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman
Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by PaakCompany, 17-Urdu Bazaar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’aan published By Idara Islaah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated Urdu to
English by Muhammad Sharif)